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In my goddess dictionary, an “F” word has nothing to do with profanity. For me, the “F word” stands not only for FREEDOM, but also for a variety of other words which perfectly describe the modern day goddess. As a lover of languages and beautiful speech, here are my 6 favorite “F” words which perfectly depict where I am in my life and how powerful and confident I feel.

1.Free – My 4th decade of life moved me suddenly into total confidence to express myself fully without doubt, without worry of others’ opinions, and without constraints. Most importantly, free from guilt, shame and blame! I have never felt so powerful, so honest and so open with my inner truth, and so beautiful in my own light.

2.Fearless – As I grow older and wiser, I am more brave. I honestly fear nothing and care very little about what others think of me. I love challenges even more and face adversity as lessons that I have to go through and deal with in order to grow and to learn. After all, life is a journey of learning, living, and loving with all your heart and soul without fear, don’t you think?

3.Fun – When I was younger, no one told me that the forties stage was going to be the best decade ever! Now that I am experiencing this wonderful time, I cannot wait to get to the next decade! That just means I am ready for more knowledge, more experiences, more fun, and more wisdom! Because of my total respect for my own freedom and my time, I can guiltlessly choose to do only what I love and be with only those I love who make my life fun and full of surprises. For example, if I feel like hopping on a plane and traveling to a deserted island for some solitude to recharge, I can do so because I choose to and it makes me happy, just like playing volleyball in the park with my favorite goddess and titan at midnight if it so pleases me.

4.Fabulous – How fabulous is it to be in my forties? I have so much intense inner strength and divine power inside that I naturally attract wonderful and fabulous people and energy everywhere I go without much effort.

5.Fashionable – As a fashion designer, taste maker, and lover of sensuality, my own style and how I express myself have changed. How I dress today really defines how I feel deep down inside: Feminine, free, sensual, confident, and spiritually awakened. Fashion is not about expensive clothes and designer labels or even overdoing it. It simply is about celebrating your own personal style and natural beauty while keeping it timeless, unique, feminine, and with understated sex appeal. And less is always more in my “tu-anh LOVE” dictionary. When it comes to fashion, a goddess should keep it feminine and tasteful and wear natural fabrics that allow the body to breathe and be free to move with ease. When we look good and feel good, we bring joy to those around us and that is oh so fashionably forties and fab!

Boating fun with my fashionista goddess fans on the Potomac.

And Lastly, Feminine is #6 on my list of favorite “F” words. In my teenage years, my body grew up much faster than I did. For a period of time, I always felt shy about my “Marilyn Monroe” figure and used to conceal my voluptuousness with loose-fitting clothes. Flash forward to my twenties, thirties, and now forties, I have learned to embrace my femininity and accept my womanly figure that is not so typical of an Asian female. Femininity is a part of who I am and how God has created me. This is the goddess essence that has emerged powerfully in my forties that I hope to inspire all modern day women to own and embrace regardless of their age.

I love how animals are naturally drawn to me, especially island cats!

I certainly have not experienced my 50’s and 60’s yet. But all I can say is “WOW” to my forties decade. Life can’t get better than this! I know who I am, what I want, and that includes what I do not want. I no longer make my life’s decisions based on needs, but instead, they are based on what I choose and what I desire. How about you? What is a favorite decade of your life?

Hiking in the town of Cabrera, DR. The cutie in the back wants my hat! (Photo: Colleen Wolak)

Greetings, it has been awhile, and I am back from a much needed Goddess sabbatical. If you live where I live – or have traveled to many major cities – I will bet that you have come across people who you instantly know are tourists, especially the North Americans (*smiles*). I really never understood the concept of the unattractive hip packs, the over-sized sweatshirts and loose fitting t-shirts, the heavy and bulky looking sneakers, and the funny-shaped baseball caps. Certainly, there are so many options out there for comfortable and stylish clothing, footwear, and accessories for travel. I am not certain why people on holiday still dress in such odd and unpolished ways. Perhaps they do not have a clue, or perhaps they are simply following what is portrayed in the films of the tourist characters.

As for myself, when I am traveling, I usually take into account where I will be traveling to: the weather, the culture, the people, and how they express their sense of style. From there, I adjust my individual style to fit in while still keeping it simple, unique, comfortable, and certainly easy to pack and wash by hand.

I hope you like the looks in this post from my recent goddess travels including the Awakened Retreat I hosted in Cabrera, a quiet and pretty town in the Dominican Republic. I like keeping my inner goddess happy with clothing that feels soft and luxurious against my skin, easy to slip on and off and that allows me to breathe freely. Cotton, silk, rayons, and slinky silky knits are usually my favorites to wear. Most importantly, I never travel without a pair of my oh so comfortable stylish leather sandals handmade in Mykonos.

Think about where your next travels might take you – How will you pack for it? What will you be wearing? If you need assistance, let me know. My style goddesses and I would find delight in helping you. Many of the clothes and accessories in this post are from my goddess sanctuary, tu-anh Boutique. If you do not live near Old Town Alexandria, you can always shop online instead.

My favorite spot on the villa to recharge (Photo: Ryann Doyle)

Sweaty from the hike, but happy and resting by the waterfall. (Photo: Ryann Doyle)

Do you know people in their forties who are going through a midlife crisis or depression because they feel like they are missing out or living life without purpose? I definitely do. But who said being in your forties has to make you feel that way? How we live our life is a choice that we make. No one can force us to do anything that we do not want to do. So how are you choosing to live your life?

Moi, I feel my forties is my most powerful decade of all and I am actually looking forward to my fifties as well. Call me a late bloomer, but I have never felt more powerful, more confident, more fearless, more beautiful, and more aware of myself and what I want for my life. Below are some of my reasons why being in my forties is so oh-so wonderful.

My dear forty-something goddesses, I hope you embrace this beautiful decade and take ownership of it. Don’t wait around for the right job, the right time, the right house, or the right titan to come to you. Become the right person and enjoy this time with yourself. And soon, you will attract everything that is right for you. Titans, that goes the same for you, too. Don’t ever allow anyone or anything to design your life for you.

Reasons why being forty-something feels so amazing!

Confidence. Nothing and no one else matters but you. There is no need to please anyone but yourself. When you own your confidence. You own everything else!

Feminine Powers. I used to be criticized and made fun of for being overly feminine. So I would play it down and try to suppress my femininity. Well, you know that did not last very long because being a feminine woman is part of the fun for me. I own it now. It’s the best feeling ever to just let your inner goddess express herself freely without any fear of judgement.

Saying NO Comes Oh So Easily. I know this does not sound good, but I used to say yes to everything and everyone because I felt bad about letting others down, and then I get stressed and resentful because I overcommitted myself. It really was an Asian-Catholic-eldest girl in the family kind of thing. But now, I think of “me first” as a priority before giving away a YES, and wow – what a difference it makes.

Life Experiences. By now, I have added more to my goddess’s toolkit. Those experiences – the wins and the losses – made me a better person because I learned what to do and what not to do.

Respect. I feel like I respect myself more and because of that, I have also noticed that others respect me more and listen to what I have to share.

Higher Standards and Expectations. Some people lower their standards when they get older, but it’s the opposite for me. My standards are even higher than ever before and I don’t settle for anything less than quality…and that includes men! 🙂

Owning My Sexuality. Growing up in a Vietnamese-Catholic family, sex was considered something bad and forbidden and only for procreation. I used to feel guilty if I showed any kind of sexuality or indulged in any sensual pleasures. I believe there was even a time where I dressed a bit more like a tomboy to hide my feminine and sensual aura because a fortune teller in Vietnam told my mother to watch over me as I will have many suitors and am the most vulnerable to being taken advantage of out of her three daughters. Oh boy, was she wrong! 🙂 Believe it or not, I used to feel guilty when boys looked at me or liked me. It was bad, but I never showed that it really bothered me much. That’s probably why I did not experience my first real love until I was in college. Now, in my forties, I think owning my sexuality and being able to appreciate all things sensual is so wonderful. Embracing your senses and being aware of your sexual energy keeps you young and alive and is also good for your health. This is a deeply spiritual gift from God. You should know that your sexuality belongs to you and only you. Take ownership of it. Don’t depend on others to please you, but don’t give it away to those who don’t deserve that experience with you either. Knowing what brings you pleasure and understanding what turns you on before anyone else can is a natural thing. I am so grateful for that power.

You can just pick up and go as you please without any worries.

Smiles…the secret to feeling youthful.

You take better care of your body, mind and spirit, too.

My beautiful younger sister and I feeling fun and fearless in our forties…